Somalia

ISSAT was mandated by the United Nations Assistance Mission to Somalia (UNSOM) to support its initial thinking and activities under their programme on Security Sector Development, and as such, contribute to the initiation of broader strategic thinking by the Puntland security and justice institutions on the direction of their security sector development process. 

ISSAT was requested to support UNSOM’s Rule of Law and Security Institutions Group (ROLSIG) through the provision of advisory personnel with experience and knowledge of ministerial, parliamentary and public oversight of security forces, facilitation, and strategic development, as well as good practice in supporting nationally-led processes. The support contributed to reinforcing UNSOM in its process of facilitating the clarification of roles and responsibilities within the Puntland’s security sector as well as support a process of strategic thinking on security sector development. 

ISSAT supported UNSOM by further enhancing the way in which the UN:

• supported civil society to engage in SSR;
• supported the MoS (Ministry of Security) to;
• adopted a holistic approach to institutional development of the security and justice sector;
• adopted a risk management approach, and considered unforeseen consequences; and
• worked coherently across the relevant UN agencies. 

The below activities were achieved through a joint UNSOM/ISSAT team approach.

• Capacity development of  the MoS Strategic Analysis Unit (SAU) in collaboration with the local NGO the Puntland Development Research Center (PDRC);
• Capacity development of  the MoS to build a better understanding of their role as a security ministry;
• Identification of risks of engagement with UNSOM and UNDP.

NB - mandate closed without deployment due to operational reasons. See follow on ISSAT mandate for evolution of support. 

During the past year, the Puntland State of Somalia has taken steps towards the creation of an economically more manageable and sustainable security sector. An important element of this process has been the establishment by the President of Puntland of the ‘Committee on Counting and Reforming the Security Sector’, which currently is in the process counting Puntland's security forces (Darwish forces, police and custodial corps).  

The process of clarification/downsizing offers an opportunity to think through how broader security sector development may be taken forward. In this regard, the project seeks support from ISSAT with respect to two activities.

The first activity is in support of establishing an analysis cell within Puntland's Ministry of Security (MoS) to ensure a better and more coherent understanding of security developments across the territory of Puntland. This cell will have both an operational and a strategic purpose. It will provide more accurate analysis of security matters across Puntland’s territory, but it may also help to identify needs within the sector beyond downsizing. Specifically, ISSAT will be required to carry out an in-depth review of the MoS.

The other activity will directly support the initiation of broader strategic thinking on the direction of Puntland’s security sector development process. This will be done by holding two training workshop among relevant stakeholders. The first workshop will focus on training civilians managing and overseeing the security sector (specifically members of the security sub-committee in Puntland's parliament, Ministry of Security, Ministry of Justice, Committee on Counting and Reforming the Security Sector and members from Puntland's Office of the President). The second workshop will be a facilitated process of initiating long-term thinking within Puntland on what security sector development entails, linkages between different organisations within the security sector, why security sector development is important and how it can be taken forward in a resource-scarce environment. Specifically, this activity should also allow an initial discussion of needs within the different agencies. Workshop participants will include both civilian and uniformed elements of the security sector.

ISSAT was requested by the United Nations to support the staff of the United Nations Political Office for Somalia (UNPOS) Security Sector Development Office (SSDO). ISSAT provided one SSR expert to join a team led by the Chief of the SSDO and included a representative of the SSR Unit from UN HQ in New York.

The team was deployed to support a process that was transitioning towards security sector reform commitments. The Political Roadmap and the revised three year National Security and Stabilisation Plan (NSSP) set the course for rebuilding Somalia’s security sector institutions (Military, Police, Justice and Corrections) during the transitional period which ended in August 2012.

The rolling out of AMISOM’s concept of operations following the adoption of the United Nations Security Council Resolution 2036 (2012) represented an opportunity to consolidate all efforts, build trust and confidence with clan leaders, former warlords and their militias, civil society organisations, and local populations.